Nevin Essex had the same dilemma when he was doing traveling concert work for Baldwin. Carrying volatile solvents on the plane is frowned on by the airlines. (Can you say bomb?) His solution was to carry shellac flakes with him and purchase denatured alcohol after arriving. He figured that alcohol is easier to find than acetone. I have also used shellac as a hammer hardener quite successfully. It seems to give a different (warmer ??) sound to the piano. Its hard to put a finger on the difference, but I would not hesitate to use it where time constraints are not too restrictive. It sets up a bit slower, but not much. I used shellac flakes (ultra blond) dissolved in denatured alcohol in a one pound cut and experimented with different concentrations from there. Don't use the pre-mixed stuff ! Shellac has a very short shelf life and the manufacturers add some agents to the pre-mixed stuff in cans which prolongs its usability, but also causes it to never really harden. It will keep for about two months before you need to mix some more. It smells a lot better than either lacquer or acetone/keytop, so is good for using in people's homes. I also use my own mix of shellac exclusively for sealing soundboards before varnishing. It makes them look wonderful. Eric > >>From the list I know the solution of shellac and alcohol(?) has been >>used to harden the hammer but I have no experience to use it. >>Will anyone tell me a little more about the solution? > > Long ago, on an upright, I mixed a thin shellac solution, and soaked the >lower shoulder of the hammers. I believe I added two tablespoons of shellac >to a pint of alcohol. I don't use shellac anymore, but have found that lacquer >or melted keytops in acetone to work as well, plus easier to use. >Regards, >Ed >(hmmm, it DOES make me want to go listen to a shellac-voiced hammer again!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eric Wolfley, RPT Head Piano Technician College Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati http://ucccm56.ccm.uc.edu/pianowolf/index.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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